The Color Of Water Essay

History is something that molds and shapes a person into who they are today. Thomas King shows this in his novel Truth and Bright Water through many of the characters. He not only lets you see how the aboriginal people’s history has affected their lives today, but also how the personal history of some characters has affected their lives. A person’s past can help one understand why they live their life the way they do; it is the answer to any question you had about them. All the minor events that go on throughout the novel explain how history affects an individual’s identity and Franklin, aunt Cassie and Monroe are excellent examples.

Aristotle once theorized, “Happiness is the meaning and the purpose of life, the whole aim and end of human existence.” The book, “The Color of Water” describes the lives of James and Ruth McBride and their journeys to find this happiness. Both of these characters, among other characters in the book struggled for the majority of their lives with the issues of race. They felt as if they were caught between two different worlds; the world of blacks and the world of whites. These struggles left all of the characters feeling forlorn. In McBride’s memoir it is made clear that in order to find happiness, the characters must first be able to confront and then overcome the racial divisions that were so prominent in their lives.

This was a reward to James because he never had the opportunity to be with his mother alone since she always occupied with something.

It is always around, it is impossible to back away from it, but what it is? Racism is a very strong force, it has captivated the world ever since humans existed. It is hard to back away from racism, to avoid it all together. Whether you are black, white, Jewish, Catholic, Irish, etc. you will be discriminated against by a group of people. No one can hide from the hatred, it is just there. The Color of Water shows that no matter where you are or who you are, that you can face racism. Rachel faced it when she was a Jew in an all white, Protestant school. James and his siblings faced racism when they were in an all-Jewish school. In the memoir, The Color of Water, by James McBride, racism is a powerful presence that can severely affect those who are victims of it.

James grew up as a black child living in a black neighborhood with a white mother during one of history’s biggest era’s for civil rights movements. The title “The Color of Water” correlates to the issues about religion and race that occur in the book with major characters such as Ruth and James. The aspects that had the most significant impact on James’ identity is environment because of the racist and segregated times, the poor neighborhood he was raised in and his mother, Ruth.

In the Color of Water, Ruth Mcbride has an important significance, because her complex past is what propels the book. Without her, the book would not be nearly as interesting. James Mcbride, Ruth’s son and author of the book, portrays Ruth as a secretive, un maternal like, and spiritual woman. Ever since James was a child, he remembers his mother never mentioning her past or her racial identity. James notes:”She had a complete distrust authority and an insistence on complete privacy which seemed to make her and my family odder .... Matters involving race and identity she ignored (9) Ruth keeps her past hidden away from her children, so that she doesn’t have to relive painful memories or inquire her past. In doing so, Ruth also doesn’t label

According to Brenda Shoshanna, an author and psychologist, “Unless we base our sense of identity upon the truth of who we are, it is impossible to attain true happiness” Everyone on Earth has their own unique identity, and if they do not have an identity they will always be struggling to find it. In The Color of Water by James McBride, the author tries to understand his mother’s identity in hopes that it will help him find his own as well. After learning his mother’s life story and going back to her hometown, James finds that Ruth’s family made the most impact on her identity because of her hypocritical father, kind mother, and her evasive siblings.

The Color of Water, written by James McBride is a non-fiction book that takes place in New York in the 1950’s. James tells his story of struggle of growing up as a mixed white and African American boy and his search to find and understand his own identity. He tells the story of his childhood as well as his mother’s life and what struggles she endured. She grew up Jewish and then conformed to Christianity, then marring and having children with a black man. No matter what colour James and his siblings are his mother still strived to raise them to the best of her ability in a Christ-like manner. In this book James talks explains his struggle and his siblings struggle to attempt to fit into the society. While society had certain negative expectations for James and his family because of their skin colour. No matter what struggles James and his family endured, whether it was poverty, change and transition, the cruelness of society or the struggle of living without a father they

James McBride 's memoir, The Color of Water, demonstrates a man 's search for identity and a sense of self that derives from his multiracial family. His white mother, Ruth 's abusive childhood as a Jew led her to search for acceptance in the African American community, where she made her large family from the two men she marries. James defines his identity by truth of his mother 's pain and exceptionality, through the family she creates and the life she leaves behind. As a boy, James questions his unique family and color through his confusion of issues of race. Later in his life, as an adolescent, his racial perplexity results in James hiding from his emotions, relying only on the anger he felt against the world. It is

James McBride's memoir, The Color of Water, demonstrates a man's search for identity and a sense of self that derives from his multiracial family. His white mother, Ruth's abusive childhood as a Jew led her to search for acceptance in the African American community, where she made her large family from the two men she marries. James defines his identity by truth of his mother's pain and exceptionality, through the family she creates and the life she leaves behind. As a boy, James questions his unique family and color through his confusion of issues of race. Later in his life, as an adolescent, his racial perplexity results in James hiding from his emotions, relying only on the anger he felt against the

At the beginning of The Color of Water, James McBride’s mother Ruth goes on to introduce particular aspects about her upbringing. She mentions how she grew up in an Orthodox Jewish family and begins to describe both her parents. Ruth’s father was a very cold and hard individual who didn’t care too much for his children’s overall well-being, while her mother was very sweet and kind in nature. She also goes on to talk about how her family was originally from Poland but decided to move to the United States from fear of oppression from the Russian government. Along with outside forces that proved to be a problem for Ruth’s family were similarities in oppressive behaviors in their family as well. Since Ruth’s family were Orthodox Jews,

Blue Gold Water Wars, is an award-winning film directed by Sam Bozzo. The documentary sends some very important messages; water is a necessary component of all human beings, and its supply is running out faster than we are able to replenish the source. We are mining almost 15 times more groundwater than the amount is being replenished. We are polluting our natural source, destroying habitats (e.g. wetlands), and obstructing rivers that fertile lands.

The desire to find where we come from plagues humanity even today. People go out into the world to find answer to the question about their existence they desperately seek. James needed answers to the question the plagued him his whole life ‘who am I’. Ruth finally gives in and a door opens that leads James on a journey to understand the person he taught he knew. The Color of Water becomes the answer the James seeked and needed to move on with his life. That burning need to know left James after Ruth told her story.

Water is often a resource taken for granted. Often wasted as if we have an unlimited supply. The hard truth is we don’t. This truth is never realized until it has become an issue. For some reason we tend to procrastinate, waiting until we have the issue to start practicing habits that benefit the environment, but what sense does that make? We often wait until we see the effects of the damage we have done to make a change. This is the American attitude. In China, the horrible smog got so bad that people starting wearing mask just to go outside. Now they are very environmentally savvy in every way possible, in efforts to put a halt in smog production and fix the damage they have done. Some countries have jumped on the bandwagon with these practices in hopes to not fall into the same trap that China did, but unfortunately, we weren’t one of them. Environmentally friendly inventions have been slowly making its way into our society, but we are still a bit behind. Most of the “popular” technologies are geared the creation of energy, but their other important things needed for our survival such as water. A technology that is often overlooked and misunderstood is greywater.

I was present on the September 16, 2017, the date of water damages occurrence at The Slayton’s residence. I was called by Ms. Slayton to help her with the clean-up. Upon my arrival, I entered through the front door and observed water and tissue paper covering the floors. As Ms. Slayton showed me the areas, water was above my ankle and it was still flowing from the bathroom into the bedroom, kitchen, dining area, hallway and living room. The water contained tissue, solids and a feces-like foul smell. There was no one there assisting with the initial clean-up but myself, Mrs. Slayton, Mr. Slayton, and the mother. No professional restoration or cleaning company was present during the time I was at the residence cleaning and bagging damaged